We Need Ash

It's Ash Wednesday. It seems like churches like the Vineyard are split on what to do about the Church calendar. We obviously celebrate Easter and Christmas, the two big guys. But Ash Wednesday, Lent, Epiphany, and others are taken on a case by case basis. My impression is that some people see it as a vestige of old "liturgical-dogmatic-religious-dead" Catholic/Lutheran/Anglican/Reformed (pick your -ism). Others embrace it as an "ancient practice" of the church. To learn more check this out wiki on Ash Wednesday

Here's a couple reasons you should go to a church and get some ash smeared on your forehead today:

1. It is the first day of Lent. Lent is a season of fasting and alms giving. It is 46 days long and it is a special time when we prepare ourselves as a church for Easter. We remind ourselves to look forward to Easter as it approaches in the calendar year. It also reminds us to keep looking forward to Jesus announcing the second resurrection.
   
2. It brings us together. There are very few things that millions of Christians all do together that are meaningful. But Lent is one of them. Join in with your brothers and sisters in Christ from around the world and across denominations as we prepare to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus.
   

It reminds us about what is important. When you get the ashes put on your forehead you will be told "from dust you came and to dust you will return." Ash Wednesday reminds us of our mortality. It reminds us of our total dependence on Christ for true life. Resurrection Life! It also reminds us that religion is not just about our own "personal relationship with Jesus" or heaven. It is also about our births and our deaths.